Magnolia
Car packed
slowly
we pull away
(from the curb?)
Leaving
Dog
cats, kids
sleepless nights
final projects, exams
sprinkled throughout the city
all – left behind and wrapped
in the sultry fragrance of an early Savannah morning
Off the tree
caught in my backward glance
I break
one bud
to take with us
Every five
then ten, fifteen minutes
snap. snap. snap. snap. snap.
thirty minutes. an hour. two
I take photos
the bud reaches full bloom somewhere in North Carolina
a chronicle of life
In evening’s fading light
images flash briefly, projected on the reefer door
snap. snap. snap. snap. snap.
family photos.